Wrong Time, Wrong Place
by Shannedo
Summary: Cato has his life planned out in to three simple steps. Volunteer. Win. Enjoy. He's looking forward to having his choice of girlfriend too. He's seen the way girls throw themselves at the feet of Victors. But he soon discovers the only girl he wants is a girl who is destined to die. Rated T for frequent strong language and violence.
1. Preface

**Preface**

A scream.

Someone shouting my name.

A blast of a canon.

And then all is silent.

The plants catch around my ankles, tripping me and slowing me. The branches of trees hang across my path, slapping me in the face and striking me in the chest. I force one foot in front of the other and sprint through the woods, but it's like time is freezing. Everything in my body propels me to the Cornucopia, but everything outwith me is determined to slow me.

If that canon was hers...

No, don't think about it!

But if it was...

My lungs burn and writhe, my legs screaming in protest. I have to get to her, but everything is giving up on me.

"CLOVE!" I scream as I break through the trees.

Katniss Everdeen vanishes into the treeline far away. Thresh disappears over the hill that leads to the lake. I search for a corpse as I continue to run, hoping to find Peeta Mellark, or the foxfaced girl from Five. But I don't. I find my worst nightmare.

As I kneel beside her, howling and screaming, I wonder what would have happened if I'd been there. If I hadn't insisted on looking out for Lover Boy. If I'd just _listened _to her telling me we were stronger as a team, maybe she would still be alive.

But no, I didn't.

Clove is dead.

And I'm out for blood.


	2. Reap

**Reap**

_-To cut or gather __(a crop or harvest)_

Mom shouts my name.

A canon shot to wake District 2.

My last reaping has finally arrived. The canon still echoes ominously through the valleys and mountains of my district, designed to wake its citizens so that no one is late for the only holiday of the year. The Reapings.

Now eighteen years old, I am the strongest and fastest person eligible for the Hunger Games. No one would dare volunteer before me today.

"Cato! Get up!" Mom cries again. I groan and pull myself out of bed, showering and dressing in a crisp black shirt and grey jeans. I have a quick breakfast and then help my little brother dress.

"I'm going to make us rich!" I say to him as I button up his shirt. He giggles and smothers the remains of his banana onto his face, missing his mouth completely. I sigh and take it away from him, wiping his face with a warm flannel.

You could say little Thyme was my pride and joy. Five years old and pro with a bow and arrow. But he only ever got arrows with sucker pads on the top, never arrow heads.

Then Mom is down in the kitchen, taking Thyme out of my arms and placing him on the floor so she can hug me. "Cato, are you sure about volunteering?" she asked.

"Of course." I said confidently.

"Twenty four go in, one comes out. Do you honestly like those odds?" she said wisely.

"Yes, I am the one that comes out. No question about it! How could anyone beat me, Mom?" I told her.

She sighs. "You're not invincible, Cato, no one is." she said.

I push off her worries as nothing more than concerns for her son and we set out for the Reaping together.

In the square, I greet my girlfriend, Ely. She is beautiful, slim, slender, slick chestnut hair, piercing green eyes. She embraces me. "May the odds be _ever_ in your favour!" she says in my ear with a giggle. I kiss her gently and sign in.

The square is crowded and full, but everyone in my age group moves out of my way so that I'm right next to the stage.

"Welcome, District Two! It's a very exciting day, is it not?" calls Jeramee Cannit, Two's escort. Everything about him screams the Capitol, from his shiny golden suit to his afro of pink curls. He looked so stupid!

The mayor reads his annual speech about the dark days. The propaganda video plays. Then the exciting part arrives.

"May the odds be _ever_ in your favour, District Two!" Jeramee calls and then crosses to the glass bowl full of girl's names. "Ladies first!" he says. He puts his hand into the bowl and fishes around for a moment, his movements swift and snake like. Then he snatches a piece of paper quickly, like a snake striking its prey and crosses back to his microphone. he pulls the tape off, opens the paper and proclaims it's content to the square.

"Lydia Sayars!" he cries. There is a stirring in the fifteen year old girls as Lydia makes her way to the stage.

"I volunteer!" shouts another girl. She emerges from the seventeen year olds and stalks towards the stage, everything about her crying arrogance and authority.

"A volunteer!" Jeramee squeaks excitedly as she reaches him. "What's your name, darling?"

"Clove Farwell." she said.

Of course Clove Farwell would be the volunteer. I'd seen her in the Tribute Training Centre, better with knives than all of her elders put together. She was brilliant. If another girl had volunteered before her they'd have had a knife in their back before they got to the stage.

"And now, for the boys..." says Jeramee. He pulls a name out of the Boy's bowl and crosses back to his microphone. Tape off. Paper open. Words on the tip of his tongue. "Jaymes Copperwood!" he shouts.

"I volunteer!" I cry. My group forms a path for me and I race down it. I'm on the stage in an instant, next to Clove and Jeramee.

"My, two volunteers!" he says. "And your name is, son?" he asks.

"Cato Bresten." I tell him.

"District Two, give Cato and Clove a hand!" he calls.

My district breaks into applause, shouting and whooping, everyone confident we will have another victor by the time the month is out.

We wave to them and then we are escorted into the Justice Building, separated and guided to private rooms. My mom and Thyme are in first. They hug me and kiss me.

Mom looks like she is holding back tears. Thyme doesn't really understand.

"Win for me, okay, Cato?" Mom says, sounding choked.

"Of course, Mom. I promise." I say and kiss her on the forehead.

"Are you going away?" Thyme asks.

"Yeah, little bro." I say, scooping him up and holding him high in the air, making him squeal in delight. "But you'll see me on TV, promise!" I tell him. He giggles and I set him down.

"I am not letting him watch the Hunger Games this year." Mom tells me.

My brow furrows in confusion. "Why not?" I ask.

"Do you honestly think I'll let him watch his brother murdering people, Cato? Think again. He'll start thinking it's okay to kill because you're setting him an example." she tells me.

I nod. "Fair enough." I say with a sigh.

"I love you." she says, a single tear running down her face.

"I love you too, Mom." I tell her and give her one more hug.

Then the Peacekeepers are in.

"Goodbye, Cato." my Mom says, tears now spilling from her eyes.

My throat is beginning to choke and tears are threatening to fall.

"Goodbye, Mom. See you soon." I say quietly. She nods and is escorted away.

"Bye bye, Cato!" calls Thyme.

I grin for his sake. "Bye bye, Thyme. See you soon!" I call after him. Then he's gone. I take the opportunity to wipe the tears from my eyes.

Then Ely is in. She bounds in and stops in front of me, pulling me into a passionate kiss.

I kiss her back, stroking her hair and savouring her warmth. I pull back gently and keep my forehead pressed to hers.

"In few weeks I'll be a victor's girlfriend!" she says with excitement. "We can have our own house in the Victor's Village!"

Er... okay. "Yeah... as long as you don't mind a little kid running around the house!" I say.

"Oh, you want kids! So do I! But we'll have to get married first, we don't want to be the talk of the District!" she gabs.

"What? I was talking about Thyme!" I tell her.

Ely takes a step back. "Wait, Thyme and your mom are moving in with us?" she asks in disbelief.

"Yeah!" I say with a snort.

She moans. "Why can't we just be on our own?"

"A... they're my family. B... I'm not even sure about living with you. We've been together for a few weeks!" I tell her.

She scoffs. "And the weeks have been magnificent. We're in love! Anyway, you shouldn't be such a baby. A big bad victor doesn't need his _family_."

I glare at her. "I'm eighteen! I think my family are allowed to stick around for a little longer. And Thyme is only five!"

Then the Peacekeepers are in, taking Ely away. "Them or me, Cato!" are her last words.

I shake my head in disbelief. Did she honestly just ask me to choose her over my family? Jeesh.

That's the end of my visits, because then I'm taken to the train and reunited with Clove. We sit on a sofa, waiting for the replay of the Reapings and our mentors.

"Do you know them?" she asks. Clove doesn't look at me, instead she becomes fascinated with the button on the cuff of her cream shirt, buttoning and popping it over and over again.

"Sorry?" I say dumbly. I hadn't been paying much attention and her question was obscure to say the least.

She smiles a little and snorts. "Do you know the mentors, bozo?" she repeats.

"Oh, right. I've seen Brutus around and Enobaria trains me a lot in the Tribute Training Centre." I say honestly, ignoring her mocking.

She nods. "So the odds are already in your favour." she says.

"What do you mean?" I ask. Again, obscure. Clove seemed to enjoy belittling her audience.

She shakes her head, mocking my stupidity. "One of the mentors already favours you over me, speedy Gonzales." she tells me.

I roll my eyes at her name calling. "Well, Brutus is ace with knives, as I recall you being. I think he'll favour you over me." I tell her.

"How do you know I'm good with knives?" she asks, looking at me for the first time. She seems intrigued, if a little uncomfortable.

I sigh. "You're the talk of the caf." I tell her, referring to the cafeteria of the training centre. "The girls are always jealous of you. The guys are always fighting over you..." I trail off. Conversations over girls like Clove were common amongst us, but I tended to stay out of them. Gossip spread like wildfire in the training centre, and people mocking you for liking a girl you haven't asked on a date makes you look weak.

She smiles nervously. "Do you?" she asks cautiously.

I smile at my shoes. "No comment." I say.

She giggles. "I should back off, don't want your girlfriend to be jealous." she says airily.

"I couldn't care less about Ely right now." I admit. "She asked me to choose her over my family."

"Ouch. Girl's got nerve. You're famous for your skills with a spear, Cato, but the only thing that's more admirable and famous about you is that you're such a family man." she tells me.

"Really?" I ask. That's one piece of gossip that's never reached my ears. I'd been told a lot that I was great with weapons of any kind, but not once had I been told I was a family man. It was true, I loved my family and I spent a lot of time with them, I just didn't know it had been acknowledged by my peers, and in a positive way too. I was sure it would be viewed as babyish, not admirable.

She nods. "Everyone loves that about you."

"Do you?" I ask her.

It's her turn to smile at her shoes. "No comment." she chirps.

I laugh.

"We're not interrupting, are we?" says Enobaria from behind up.

I cringe. How much did they hear?

Enobaria and Brutus sit down on the sofa next to us just as the Capitol seal lights up the TV screen and the anthem begins.


	3. Fire

Fire

_- combustion or burning._

The anthem ran its course and the black screen faded to a television studio, where Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith sat behind a desk, greeting Panem.

"Citizens of Panem, it's that time of year again! Welcome! And Happy Hunger Games!" cries Claudius, making me roll my eyes.

"Now, as you know, today twenty four brave young tributes were chosen across the twelve districts in the public Reapings. We will now talk you through each district and it's tributes and may I say, this year will be positively fabulous!" Caesar says. "Don't you agree, Claudius?"

"I do, Caesar! Without further ado, meet the tributes of District One!" Claudius says.

They then show a montage of One, factory workers making luxury items, the same items featuring in Capitol parties, and then it cuts to the town square. The children of One are sorted and chattering excitedly, their parents looking on from the side lines. An escort equally as exuberant as Jeramee stands on stage. Two teenagers, one called Marvel and the other Glimmer, are called to the stage.

Then Two. Clips of citizens labouring with slabs of stone and examples of our masonry. Clove and I are reaped, or we volunteer rather. Claudius and Caesar comment that between One and Two, there will be a good mix of career tributes this year.

Three through to Ten and no one catches our attention but when Eleven's tributes are reaped, everyone stirs. After clips of District 11 workers labouring in fields and Capitol citizens eating their produce, it cuts to the town square. A small twelve year old is called on stage, young and cute. Her name is Rue. Then a lumbering giant, muscular and intimidating, is called up too. Thresh.

"He might be a challenge..." Clove muses.

"Not if we ally him." I offer. It was absurd, an Eleven amongst careers, but he was so big, it would be stupid not to attempt it.

Then to twelve, clips of miners hacking at coal and then people of the Capitol curled up in front of coal fires. To a dilapidated town square, where everything is quiet and sullen. Almost all of the adults are pale and gaunt from vitamin D deficiency. I wondered if the miners ever say the sun at all. I'd heard they work from dawn to dusk. A little girl is called to the stage. A scream and then another girl, who is much older, volunteers and takes her place. She's called Katniss. Claudius and Caesar are stunned. _A volunteer from District Twelv_e_!_ they say _The first in sixty years! _Then a boy called Peeta joins her and the screen fades back to the TV studio.

"Non stop suspense!" says Claudius.

"Yes, I'm certain this year's Games will be the best so far!" adds Caesar.

The anthem plays, the screen fades to black and the broadcast is finished.

"Intimidated?" Brutus asks.

"No." we answer calmly, in perfect unison.

"Thresh looks like a challenge-" Enobaria begins.

"But I bet we could get Glimmer to make an ally of him." Clove butts in.

"Yeah, we ally Glimmer and the careers have everyone else in the palm of their hand." I add.

"So you're going to rely on Glimmer?" Brutus asks.

"Nope, we're going to use her. Her beauty could dissolve even the toughest guy, but when Glimmer is no longer useful we simply... dispose of her." Clove says with a wicked smile.

"Good..." Enobaria says. "We've got some brainy kids this year. Last year the kids thought brute strength was the answer to everything. Sometimes the Hunger Games call for a more... cunning approach."

"But what about any girls you would like to ally? I doubt Glimmer would be useful there." Brutus reasons.

"We have Cato." Clove says.

"What?" I ask.

"Jeesh, dumbass. You're just as attractive as Glimmer, you could melt any girl's heart." Clove tells me. I would have been flattered but she says it in a harsh, cynical way, which makes it sound more like an insult.

"As sweet as that is, remember one, if not both of you, will die within the next few weeks. Don't get too close." Enobaria reminds us.

"Jeesh, Enobaria. We're just allies." Clove snaps. I nod to back her up.

"Whatever you say..." Brutus says, making me roll my eyes.

"Grow up." I hiss.

The rest of the train ride passes quickly and soon we're in the Capitol. As the train judders to a halt, Clove and I race to the window like children for our first real glimpse of the magnificent city. Row upon row of eccentric citizens are lined up outside, just waiting to catch sight of us. Enobaria grabbed me by the shoulder, Brutus taking Clove, and we're escorted off of the train, down a passage through the people of the Capitol, held back by steel barriers.

"Clove! Cato! How would you feel about giving us an interview?"

"Clove! You're so pretty! We're betting on you!"

"We love you Cato! You're so hot!"

It was overwhelming. I clenched my hands into fists and rely on Enobaria as she leads us into a building with plaques on the glass doors stating it was the remake centre.

Clove and I are separated, and I'm guided into a room that had only three people in it.

"Hello, Cato!" a thin young woman says. Her skin is a pale blue, her cheeks rosy pink. She has long aqua hair that falls to her hips in a poker straight sheet. Her left arm is painted with golden tattoos of butterflies that sparkle in the right light. "I'm Candria, this is Vergil-" she says, pointing to a man with hot pink hair that shot in every direction "and Augustina." she adds, pointing to a woman with turquoise ringlets that fell down to her shoulders.

"Hi." I said nervously.

"Can you put this on?" she asks, handing me a thin gown. So I put it on, only to find her giggling. "No, you take off your clothes and _then_ put it on."

"Where can I change?" I ask.

"Here, of course!" she says.

I raise my eyebrows. "Well, can I get a little privacy?" I ask, rather dumbfounded.

"Oh! You're a shy one. Okay!" she says brightly and turns her back to me, gesturing for her co-workers to do the same. I roll my eyes and reluctantly take off my clothes, replacing them with the thin gown.

"Done." I say simply to them. How rude were they? Did they not understand the concept of privacy?

"Okay, son. If you lie down on that bed we can start working." Vergil says brightly, gesturing towards a reclining bed. I sit down on it and lie back, cringing at the millions of bottles on the shelves of the room. They set to work, applying gel to strips of waxed paper then placing them on my legs.

"What do they - ah!" I shout as Augustina rips one strip off. "What the hell was that for?" I snap.

They keep working like I hadn't said a thing, except Vergil hands me a towel. "To bite on." he says.

They continue to ruthlessly rip strips of paper off of my legs, arms and chest. Then they apply an ointment to my now tingling skin. I receive a haircut and a shave, more ointment on my face, presumably to stop me from growing a beard in the arena. Then they leave and a young woman comes into the room.

"Hello, Cato." she says, helping me off of the bed. "I'm Demetria, and I'm here to make you look stunning." She's very pretty, tall and slender with dark skin and untouched glossy black hair. Her lips and eyelids are painted silver and she has a silver butterfly tattoo on her cheek. She wears a burgundy, Aztec-print playsuit.

"Hi." I say quietly. "Great to meet you."

"It's great to meet you." she tells me. "Do you want to get dressed?"

"Yes please." I say.

She grins and hands me a silver clothing bag, then she steps outside. Thank god someone has some manners. I put on the outfit quickly, it is classic Roman centurion, except gold and with a headpiece adorned with golden wings.

"You done?" Demetria asks.

"Yes." I call.

She comes back in and smiles at me. "That looks great. Do you like it?" she asks.

"I love it." I say politely. And it did look good.

"Come on then." she says and guides me through the remake centre. She takes me to the Launch Room of the tribute parade, where I take my place in my chariot. Clove joins me, looking stunning in an outfit identical to mine. I turn to the District 1 tributes, who are clad in pink fur.

"Hey." I say. They nod in acknowledgement.

"So... you're classic career tributes right?" Clove asks.

That caught their attention. "Yeah. Of course." Marvel says.

"And we're pretty good." Glimmer adds.

"Good. There's always room for a talented ally." I say.

They nod. "You've got a deal, Cato." Marvel says.

And then the parade starts, Marvel and Glimmer's chariot disappears out of the open doors. We follow, the overwhelming cheering of the Capitol making me cringe. They go wild as we appear and Clove and I put on a show for them, waving and smiling. The other chariots follow behind, but when 12 emerges onto the avenue, the noise of the crowd doubles. I keep focused and look to Clove, who seems nonchalant.

Our chariot stops in front of President Snow's mansion and I wait patiently to see the source of the commotion.

And that's when 12 pulls up, it's residents on fire. Literally.

Everyone's eyes are on them.

And the rage is already boiling through me.

_**A/N: **__sorry it took so long to get out! I didn't like the first draft. Please review!_


	4. Analyse

**Analyse**

_-__consider in detail_

Later, I am reunited with Demetria, Enobaria, Brutus, Jeramee and Clove's stylist, who introduces himself as Calvin. But I can't stop staring at the 12 tributes, who are eyeing me nervously. Then their mentor, that drunken idiot, Haymitch, intervenes. He glares daggers at me, so I smirk and turn back to everyone else, before things get nasty.

"You were amazing!" Demetria assures us.

"Those Twelve kids are the first ones I'll kill." Clove says through gritted teeth.

"Clove, they had a fancy costume, that doesn't mean they're any good." Calvin says.

"They still showed us up." I say viciously.

"Cato's right." came a silky voice from behind me. It's Glimmer, and she has Marvel at her shoulder.

"As good as dead." Marvel adds, cracking his knuckles maliciously.

"What if they're useful?" Clove asks.

We turn to them. Their team is in front of them like a human shield, but their heads are still visible. They see us. We see them. They look like deer, frozen, ready to run at a moment's notice. We're the predators, bloodthirsty and quick.

"Ignore them." Haymitch says to them and tries to drag them away.

"You better sleep with your eyes open, Twelve!" Marvel calls after them as they retreat.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel." I add, accompanied by a high pitched cackle from Glimmer.

"Guys. Cool it. You don't know who you're dealing with. What if they turn out to be brutal killers?" Enobaria snaps.

Clove raises her eyebrows in disbelief. "Brutal killers? From Twelve?"

Brutus snorts. "Well, you've obviously never seen a Second Quarter Quell rerun. That man, Haymitch Abernathy, is lethal. He may not look very strong, but he's smarter than all of you put together. Yes, naive little girl, brutal killers can come from just about anywhere." he says the last part with a sickeningly sweet voice.

Clove just glares at him.

"Right! Shall we go upstairs?" a very flustered Jeramee suggests and escorts us back to our room. It's only the second floor, not a very spectacular view, but it's more luxurious than the train. I'm shown to my room by an Avox, who Brutus explains is a mute servant who does their work as payment for their crimes. It shocks me, really.

Demetria asks me for my costume, so I change into pyjamas (grey sweatpants) and give the Centurion outfit to her. "Where will it go?" I ask.

She smiles. "The 74th Hunger Games Museum." she explains.

"There will be a whole museum just for these Games?" I ask, bewildered. I wonder if I'll have my own exhibit when I win... 'Cato the Brutal'.

"Yeah, it'll be under the arena in the changing rooms." she says and leaves.

I sleep well that night, dreamless and fearless. I am only woken when I roll over onto the remote of the changing window and birds started chirping.

"Ugh... shut up!" I moan and blindly stab at the remote, trying to find the power button. But they continue to chirp playfully in their forest, obnoxious buggers. I must have hit something because then the window scene changed to a Capitol street where brightly dressed people are talking very loudly.

"Looking for this?" came a sneer. I jump up and pull the cover around my bare chest, catching sight of Enobaria, who is tossing and catching my window remote. So it was her that put it on.

"What was that for?" I snapped.

"If you don't get up soon, you'll be late for training." she warned. Then she stalked off, tossing the remote over her shoulder and narrowly missing my head.

"Bitch." I say under my breath.

"Heard that!" she calls back.

I groan and push myself up off of the bed, changing into the training uniform Demetria laid out for me. Then I join Clove at the breakfast table, where I wolf down a large breakfast. Clove is picking at a stack of pancakes, quiet and sullen.

"You okay?" I ask through a mouthful of bacon.

"Ew, Cato!" she said. "Talking with your mouth full is gross."

I gulp my food down. "Sorry, Princess." I say with an eye roll.

She glares at me. "Wanna try being mature?" she snaps.

"Wanna try being nice?" I retort.

"Ugh, you're impossible." she says with a scowl.

Her scowl softens me, even though it was probably meant to do the opposite, but seeing her babyish features curled into such an awful expression makes me want to smile.

"How old are you?" I ask.

"Seventeen." she replies, obviously weirded out by my sudden question.

"You don't look it." I tell her. "You look maybe fourteen, you're too small _and_ you're baby faced."

She grimaces, making my urge to grin even stronger. "You don't look eighteen. Too scrawny." she snaps.

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. I am hardly a twig and I flex my arms to prove it. "Yeah, _far_ too scrawny." I say sarcastically.

She smiles a little. "Okay, that isn't true, but I'm not happy at being called a fourteen year old." she tells me.

"I take it back, sorry Clove." I say with a smile. "I think thirteen is more accurate."

She is about to start yelling at me, but then Jeramee appears, looking like an idiot in a sequin suit and short hair dyed an awfully bright shade of orange. The sequins of his suit are in orange, red, yellow and black, twisting into patterns that looked suspiciously like-

"Fire? You're wearing fire?"Clove snaps.

"Of course! Talk about an O.F.P!" he says with a girlish giggle.

"A what?" we ask simultaneously.

"An overnight fashion phenomenon!" he explains like we're stupid.

"So you're wearing a fashion our _rivals_ inspired?" I ask.

Jeramee cringes. "Just because I want to keep up with the latest fashions, doesn't mean I'm not on your side!" he says in self defence. "Anyway, if you don't hurry up, you're going to be late for training!"

I sigh. Stupid, fashion obsessed, Capitol snobs. Reluctantly, I follow him, Clove hot on my tail. Brutus and Enobaria greet us at the elevator.

"Show off, stand out." Brutus tells us.

"Yes, intimidate them. Show them you're superior." Enobaria adds.

I nod in silent agreement before I'm ushered into the elevator by Jeramee. I feel weirdly nervous, not what you'd expect a career to be feeling. I guess I was just nervous to face the 12 tributes. They, after all, were now the stars of the show. If they ended up actually being skilled, it would take a lot of work to get the audience on to my side.

The elevator shoots far below ground, so far I feel like the walls are closing in around me. Being down here makes me feel sick, adding to the tension and nerves that already possess my mind.

I take a deep breath when the elevator bell sounds, signalling we had arrived, and compose myself. The doors open and I'm looking down a long, grey corridor that ends in what Jeramee tells me in a vomitorium. He explains that, like a lot of things in the Capitol, the name is taken from an ancient society that was based in a place called Rome. He says the name basically means the aisle that crowds enter an arena through.

The nauseous feeling in my stomach doesn't settle as I walk down the corridor. I look to Clove for support, and find that she's already motivated, her pretty face curled into an expression of arrogance and superiority. I follow, taking a second deep breath and reminding myself that everyone in that room is easy prey, that I am the alpha male.

We arrive in a room with grey walls and a grey floor, where Jeramee bids us good luck and disappears. A few tributes are huddled around an elevated podium where a tall woman stands. Everyone is on a numbered circle of paint, girls on the inner circle, boys on the outer. I take up my place, Clove just metres before me, and take to eyeing up the competition.

Marvel and Glimmer are already here, looking just as confident as us. I quickly learn who is intimidated and who is stupid. Almost everyone refuses to meet my gaze. The massive Thresh eyes me right back, his features twisted into a look of contempt. I just smirk at him and move on. His district partner, the little twelve year old, surprisingly holds my gaze. She looks worried until Thresh protectively places a hand on her shoulder, making me grimace.

Then the Twelve tributes arrive, making everyone stare. Just as they did in the parade, they hold hands. Marvel gags audibly, making me laugh. Much to my satisfaction, they take up their places directly opposite from me, giving me a chance to get a good look. There is nothing special about them and I put their sudden fame down to one heck of a stylist.

Then the head trainer, Atala, begins to speak. She natters on about how everyone should check out the survival units, but I don't listen. I would in good time, but first everyone had to know my skills lived up to my size.

I spend the first hour or so of training showing off, with very positive reactions. Well, positive for me, almost every tribute watches at some point and dissolve to quaking in their boots. I take a quick break with the other careers, next to the spear racks where we sip the protein shakes we received.

"Liking the competition?" Marvel asks. While we talk, I analysed everyone carefully and discretely, knowing they would be doing the same. Marvel looks too confident for his own good, making me wonder if I could use that to my advantage.

"Yeah, most of them will be like wounded deer." Clove scoffs. I notice she is also very confident, but much smarter than Marvel. She also seems bloodthirsty, unafraid to kill, disregardful of the consequences. That could put her at the very top of people's hit lists. Revenge is a dangerous and strong urge, Clove would do well to remember it.

"What do you mean, most?" Glimmer asks. She seems interesting, endearing, but smart. Like a Venus Fly Trap, ready to snap shut. She informs us about a simple strategy she has. It is to act dumb, gorgeous and harmless to bring her prey in and then flip into predator mode, slaughtering anyone foolish enough to come close. It seems smart until you think about weapons you can use without being in close range. I think Glimmer is more likely to get an arrow in the back than to win with that strategy of hers.

"I mean we might want to look out for a few. Like Thresh." she explains, eyeing up the mountain of a guy, who was currently lifting massive weights.

A sudden thump makes us look up. The boy from Twelve has fallen from a net, making me snigger. He looks around anxiously and meets our eyes, visibly shrinking away. Then his district partner is by his side, whispering something in his ear.

"I wuv you!" Glimmer mimics in a high pitched voice, making us laugh. Then the boy is on his feet, hobbling up the platform stairs to the weights. Thresh gave him space, even helping him up the last step. Then he takes the heaviest weight and hobbles into the centre of the podium. With a movement so quick you could blink and miss it, he flings it across the room, where it hurdles into a rack of spears, which clatter to the ground.

That shut us up.


	5. Regrets

**Regrets**

_-__Feel sad, repentant, or disappointed_

Lover boy and his girlfriend look up to gauge our reactions, as do most of the tributes who don't have two brain cells to rub together. I just take up a signature smirk.

"First to die, Lover Boy." Marvel jeers.

"Good luck!" Clove sneers.

And we get back to work.

I spend the rest of the day's training proving I am stronger and faster than Lover Boy in every way. I pull out all the stops and become some sort of awe-inspiring machine. Tributes stop and stare as I decimate dummies with spears and dodge maces in the Gauntlet. I prove I'm the best. And it works in every intended way.

Now exhausted, I'm back on the second floor, stretched out in front of the television. Clove knocks my feet off of the sofa so that she can sit down, a banana milkshake in hand. "I'll have one of those too!" I call to the bartender, who immediately sets to work.

"He isn't a dog." Clove snaps.

"Ooh! Clove's got a crush on the tender!" I say in a sing song voice.

"Shut it, dumbass. He's like fifty!" she says, disgusted.

I smirk and go back to watching the TV. Caesar Flickerman is interviewing the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. I turn up the volume as I'm handed my milk shake.

"Seneca! How good to see you!" Caesar says.

"Good to see you too, Caesar. Been too long." he answers.

"Bro's got one heck of a beard." Clove says.

"Damn right." I reply. "You give it ten seconds and Jeramee will be through with the exact same one."

Clove snorts and turns her attention back to the interview.

"So... I know you can't say much, but how's the talent looking in today's training?" Caesar asks, picking his words carefully.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I can't say much, but there are some talented kids in the mix this year-" he says.

"Like me." I say.

"And me." Clove adds.

"- and they're great in their own ways. A few can name every berry they're presented with and can tell you whether it's safe or not. Some are worthy of military status, their skills with weapons are out of this world!" Seneca says. He's exaggerating for the audience, but it's still flattering.

"He's talking about me." Clove tells me.

"Ha! I'm god of weaponry, you're just my servant." I say with a laugh.

"You're so childish." she says.

"Yeah, _I'm _the childish one." I say sarcastically.

She glares at me. "So 'god of weaponry' isn't childish?" she sneers.

"Just stating the truth, little girl." I tell her.

"Just you wait, Cato. I'll cut your throat in your sleep." she says with a smirk.

"Nah, you'll be long dead before you get the chance, weedy little thing like you." I tell her.

She scowls. "Cato, do you honestly think I'm gonna get taken down on the first day?" she asks, although her voice is harsh, there are faint traces of honesty and insecurity.

I sigh. "No. Careers don't get taken down on the first day. Especially not Careers like you." I tell her honestly.

The edges of her mouth curve up ever so slightly. "Careers like what?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

I swing my legs off of the sofa and sit up properly so that I don't have to look her in the eye. "Smart... cunning... confident... skilled. Non-Careers would have a tough time laying a finger on you."

"Unless it's Thresh." she says, genuinely worried. I see the slight shiver that goes through her as she says it and I immediately feel sorry for her. She probably only just clears five foot seven. She's inches shorter than me and almost a whole foot shorter than Thresh. And she's built to be willowy and slender, not muscular and imposing. In build, she's Thresh's opposite, it's easy to see where her concern in coming from.

"Well, you've got me. I'll protect you until Thresh is gone." I assure her.

Her face lights up, all concern vanishing. "Serious?" she asks, as if she'd imagined my words.

"Serious." I confirm.

"Thanks, Cato." she says and stands up to leave.

"Wait, Clove." I tell her and grab her by the wrist. She looks back at me, her deep hazel eyes glittering with relief. "I'm sorry, for what I said."

She smiles a little, the twinkle in her eyes coming to life. "And I'm sorry for what I said. Friends?" she asks cautiously.

I loosen my grip on her wrist and shake her hand very reluctantly. "Friends." I say, the word causing me physical pain. And then she walked off, leaving me wonder what I had done.

I wasn't a cold hearted beast, I had plenty of friends and I certainly wanted to be Clove's. But not in this situation, not knowing she would have to die if I wanted to live. Only in the Hunger Games is making a friend a bad thing.

Training passed quickly and I was careful to spend time in the survival workshops, which is more than can be said for Glimmer and Marvel. It turned out I was good with snares, but my memory refused to work when it came to edible plants and berries. But Clove had that covered and we were allies, not because we were Careers, but because we were friends and we work better as a team. We had making fires covered, it was simple and a skill from home. In the light summers of District 2, it was common for friends to travel up the sides of the mountains and camp there for the night. It was partially illegal but such an old and safe tradition than Peacekeepers often overlooked it, most remembering when they used to do it.

The scores were displeasing. I received a 10 and I was set to be the highest scoring of us all, but then the girl on fire's score was announced, and it was all I could do to not hit someone.

Soon enough, it's our day of prep before our interviews. Enobaria spends the morning with Clove, teaching her about composure and appeal whilst Brutus and I speak about my chosen interview angle. I am playing at being brutal, obviously. It is a similar approach to Brutus' and he is very helpful and loaded with tips.

"Don't appear completely monstrous or people will get bored of you. Be charming and funny also. The people of the Capitol may be bloodthirsty, but their attention spans are as short as a child's." he warns. I nod and listen hard through his coaching. He tells me to appear arrogant, sat back with one leg crossed over the other to let on I think I own the place. He tells me to keep a menacing, shark like smile on my face at all times and make sure I answer every question immediately and confidently. He adds that I should try to avoid making the crowd sympathetic, because it will tear away all of my good work so far and make me look weak.

"Got it. Arrogant, brutal, confident and never depressing." I relay. He nods and we go to lunch. Clove is quiet, but not from anger, she just seems exhausted.

"Fun morning?" I ask, smiling up at her.

She returns it, with just an edge of sarcasm. "Sure. Exhausting is a more appropriate term. Jeramee and Enobaria spent hours trying to find the balance between beauty and power that fits me." she tells me.

"Just be who you are." I suggest. "I think you already have the perfect balance going on."

She cocks her head to the side, her smile widening and all sarcasm vanishing. "Was that a compliment?" she asks in a surprisingly mock-free way.

I nod and stare at my lamb stew. "I was being nice, you should try it sometime." I say, earning a playful but powerful punch in the shoulder.

She giggles. "I'm not as much of an ice queen as you think I am, Cato." She says.

"Never said you were, Clove. And under this handsome, muscular, Adonis-like exterior, I'm actually very nice and caring." I tell her.

"Not to mention humble." she says.

We laugh a little and then are separated for our last four hours of training. Enobaria and Jeramee have teamed up to devise just how they will change me from District Boy charming to full-fledged, Capitol-rank droolworthy. The work is hard, when stuck I always resume the ways of my district. This earns me a sharp talking to from Enobaria.

"Cato, you have to be stunning, and after kids like Finnick Odair and Cashmere going through the exact same process, the 'stunning' requirements are very high." she tells me.

"Well, what if boy-next-door-charm works?" Jeramee suggests.

"It would if he wasn't playing such a brutal angle. He has got a certain boyish charm about him, but it just doesn't work with his approach." Enobaria tells him.

It goes on and on like this for hours and when I finally escape, I see Clove has come off none the better. Just like every other day, we end up lying in front of the TV with banana milkshakes, whining about the day's events.

But our friendship is short lived, because the next morning, I'm being prepared for the Interviews. My prep team are in at the crack of dawn and spend hours making me flawless. They wax me and put ointment on me, shave me and apply makeup. They gel up my hair and stencil patterns on to the back of my hands in silver and black. I can't help but wonder what Demetria is planning for my interview.

Demetria arrives, looking pretty in a block colour mini dress and neon streaks in her glossy hair. She has another clothing bag slung over her shoulder and she gives me a quick look over.

"Perfect." she says, obviously pleased with my prep team's work. "You're going to be stunning."

I smile and hug her. "Thank you for everything." I tell her.

She pats my back. "No problem, Cato. I'm here to help you in every way I can." she says and hands over the bag. In the privacy of my bedroom, I change into a silver and black suit, cutting edge and dangerous. Perfect.

I meet up with everyone else in the Dining Room, where we do last minute prep and wait for Clove.

"Any last questions?" Brutus asks me.

I shake my head. I was as ready as I would ever be. My stomach wasn't tying itself in knots today, making for a more relaxed me.

Jeramee gasps and I spin around, ready to face an enemy or a monster.

But what I find is even more stunning.

Clove, in a peach gossamer gown, has appeared, her glossy ebony hair is pleated to lie on her shoulder and her large hazel eyes are lined with black, making them twice as beautiful.

I find myself incapacitated by how breathtaking she is, my muscles have gone rigid and my mind has gone cloudy. She eventually gets fed up of me gawking at her, as she shoves me slightly as she goes past.

A half hour or so later, I'm in the wings of the stage. Clove is currently talking to Caesar and she's playing at witty, funny and ruthless, a combination she has no problem pulling off.

A large buzzer sounds and Clove and Caesar are bidding each other good bye. An attendant shows me to the side of the stage and I listen to Caesar as he plays me up.

"He's a betting house favourite, a muscular mountain, the second highest scoring tribute of the year, Cato the Great!" Caesar calls and my intro music is played. I take to the stage and shake Caesar's hand, taking in the crowds' calls appreciatively. I sit as instructed, laid back, legs crossed, arms draped on the sides of the chair.

And then the questioning begins.

_**A/N: **__Hey! Thanks for reading! I'm not 100% sure this chappie is up to standards so if you feel it's too fast paced, please say so! As always, please review, I love getting feedback on my work, it helps me grow as a writer. And if you think anything can be improved, don't hesitate to say so!_


	6. Machine

**Machine**

_-An apparatus using or applying mechanical power to perform a particular task._

"Cato. I love you. The audience loves you. Everyone in Panem_ loves_ you! Is it all a bit weird?" Caesar asks. The crowd scream in agreement.

"A little, but not in a bad way. It's just new and nerve-wracking. I got a lot of attention and admiration at the TTC because of my skills-" I begin.

"The TTC?" Caesar asks, his brow furrowed.

"Oh, sorry. The Tribute Training Centre. It's where we train for the Games. But it's kind of illegal, so let's just keep it between you and me." I tell him, receiving roars of laughter from the crowd.

Caesar nods seriously.

"What about you lovely folks? Can you keep a secret?" I say.

They shout in agreement.

Caesar chuckles. "So, Cato, what would you say makes you stand out from the crowd?" he asks.

"I won't back down from any challenge. Nothing scares me. If I need to do something to win, I will do it without a second thought." I say.

Caesar marvels at me in exaggerated awe. "Wow! You would fit right in here in the Capitol! You know, the city of ambition!" he says, which is met my cries of agreement from the crowd.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think I could cope with the windows for long." I say.

"The windows?" he asks.

"Yeah! You fall asleep, roll over onto the remote and then birds are screaming in your ear! I don't know how you cope!" I say with a laugh. I glance quickly to the elevated platform and see Brutus giving me a subtle thumbs up.

"Cato, I'll let you in on a secret... there's a mute button." Caesar whispers in my ear, but every word is caught by the microphone and the crowd laughs. I'm not bothered, it's harmless banter.

"Oh, Caesar! You've made me look like an idiot!" I say to him.

He guffaws, as do the crowd. "So, a handsome, marvelous chap like you, you must have the prettiest girl in District 2 on your arm." he says.

"I guess I did, we're not together anymore." I admit.

The crowd gasps. "She didn't break up with you, did she?" Caesar asks.

"No, I broke up with her." I tell him. I felt bad for Ely in this moment of time, finding out like this, but what she said to me when I last saw her makes my blood boil.

"My oh my! We are in the presence of a heartbreaker!" Caesar says to the crowd, at which point women start clamouring to get onstage and throw themselves into my arms. But, thankfully, Peacekeepers intervene.

"No, I'm not." I say, hitting Caesar playfully on the arm. "We were just too different. I put my family before everything else but she... well, she was attention seeking." I say honestly.

Caesar nods solemnly. "I think we've all been there, Cato. Yes, my ex-wife, I'm talking to you!" Caesar says into a camera, making me laugh. "So... if you get home, is there a girl you'd like to ask out? She wouldn't dare reject a Hunger Games victor!"

I contemplate that for a second. "If I was to win, the only girl I'd want would be... let's say, inaccessible." I tell him and watch as the crowd react, almost everyone confused.

Then the buzzer goes off and the crowd roars in disappointment.

"Oh, just when we were about to get to the gossip!" Caesar exclaims. "I'm sorry everyone, but rules are rules."

I nod sadly and get to my feet. Caesar hoists my hand into the air. "Cato the Magnificent!" he shouts. The crowd roars in appreciation and I exit the stage.

Clove and I are, once again, sat in front of the TV with banana milkshakes. The rest of the interviews passed quickly, no one making an impact as big as me until the end. Once more, the tributes of District 12 have upstaged me. And once more, I am furious.

Some stupid gossip show was on screen, going through the action of the Games so far. Everdeen at the Reaping, District 12 in the tribute parade, Everdeen's training score, Mellark's confession of love. It was all about them.

"As soon as I get a weapon, Mellark and Everdeen are dead." I say to Clove.

Clove nods. "I claim Everdeen, I want to hear her crying out for Lover Boy whilst I kill her nice and slowly." she says, cracking her knuckles venomously.

"Fine, as long as I kill Lover Boy. It's so obvious their love thing is fake. Only the Capitol are too dumb to see it." I say.

There was a short silence, in which the gossip show dragged their attention away from Mellark and Everdeen to go to me and my mysterious crush.

"Who is it?" Clove asks.

"Huh?" I say, dumbfounded.

"You are so sloooow!" she leers. "Who's the girl?"

"Oh... right. I'd rather not say." I tell her.

"Do I know her?" Clove questions.

_Hell yeah_. I think. "Most likely." I tell her.

"Why is she _inaccessible?"_ she asks quietly.

"No comment." I say with a laugh.

"Not this again!" she says with a giggle. "You're so annoying!"

"Bla bla bla. That's what I hear when you talk, Clove Farwell." I tell her.

She shakes her head and sniggers. "Goodnight, Cato." she says.

"Night night, Princess." I say as she stalks off.

"Shut up!" she cries, making me laugh.

Demetria wakes me up early the next morning and gives me a pair of jeans and a soft grey t-shirt to wear. My clothes for the trip to the arena. I dress quickly and join everyone else on the balcony. Clove and I will be airlifted to our mysterious destination separately.

We all sit on benches in amongst the small garden. We talk about our interviews last night, everyone congratulating Clove and I. Apparently we stood out from the crowd. Until Peeta and Katniss came along, that is.

"Nervous?" Brutus asks.

I hesitate and find I am. "Just a little." I say. Clove nods in agreement.

"It's okay, I was exactly the same before my Games." Enobaria says with a smile.

"Are you actually being nice?" Clove mocks.

Enobaria growls half-heartedly. She had a little compassion towards us today, as this may be the last time we talked, face to face.

"If there's last pieces of advice I want to give you, it's this. Stay alive, stay near water and find shelter are big, obvious ones. But stand out. You're going to have a lot of competition for sponsors this year, namely Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. The Capitol eat up their romance like wild dogs, draw the attention away from them. Do something so amazing that you're impossible to ignore." Brutus tells us.

"Like what?" I ask.

"Kill them. Be the person responsible for the tragic end of the 'Star-Crossed Lovers from District 12'." Enobaria says, simply and brutally.

"And if we don't?" Clove asks.

"Either kill the person who did or kill Thresh. The murderer of that guy would get a lot of attention." Brutus suggests.

Then a Hovercraft appears with a loud buzz. A rope ladder descends and a man appears in the doorway. "Cato Bresten." he says in his strong Capitol accent. I pull Brutus, Enobaria, Jeramee and Calvin into a massive group hug and let go of them. Then I turn to Clove.

"See you in the arena." she says solemnly. And I hug her too. I pretend not to notice the wet patch on my shoulder made by her tears as I climb on to the ladder. An electric current freezes me in place and I am forced to hold Clove's pained gaze as I'm pulled into the hovercraft.

The man stands over me and injects a tracker into my arm before sitting me down and lowering the ladder again. Soon, Demetria joins me and we are speeding away. It's only then that I realise I may never see my mentors again and a sharp pain hits me in the chest.

Demetria clasps my hand in hers for the whole journey, neither of us once saying a word. As we get closer to our destination, the windows black out. Demetria turns to me and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about those 12 kids. You've got two of the best mentors the Games have ever seen, whereas they have the worst. I've been styling kids for five years and every one of them died in the Arena, but I have a good feeling about you." she tells me.

I smile. "Thanks, Demetria. That means a lot." I say as the Hovercraft touches down. We are led down to a circular hall with twenty four doors leading off of it. I'm guided into the third door, marked Cato.

Demetria takes great time and care making sure my new clothes are perfect and comfortable. Chocolate brown trousers, blood red jacket, brighter red t-shirt and soft leather boots.

The nauseous feeling is back. Demetria and I sit in silence and my breathing becomes shallow.

_"Thirty seconds to go." _a disembodied female voice says and I jump. We stand and stare at each other for a second and I fling my arms around her, trying to hold back the sobs that are burning my throat.

I honestly wished I'd listened to Mom that morning of the Reaping. This is horrible, knowing I may soon die.

I cling to Demetria for a second and then let go, a solitary tear rolling down my cheek. She brushes it away with her thumb whilst the voice says there are twenty seconds to go.

I slowly turn away and walk to the metal plate.

"Cato!" Demetria says. I turn around quickly. "I'd bet on you." she says. I smile briefly and take up place on the metal disc.

"Good bye." I say to her.

"Good bye for now." she adds.

And then the glass walls close and the disc begins to ascend. I only have time to give her the District 2 sign of respect-clasping your fist over your heart (which is throbbing against my ribs) and bowing your head-before she vanishes from view. I turn around in the dark to face where the Cornucopia will be in seconds and take a deep breath, putting on my best mean expression and making sure no traces of my tear remain.

Then the Cornucopia is there in all its gleaming glory. My fellow tributes-or prey as I will now refer to them-are assembled in a circle around it. I let out my breath and glance quickly at Clove as the countdown begins. She looks menacing and confident, but I now know her too well to think that's what she's really feeling. Just like me, Clove is screaming on the inside.

"Ladies and Gentleman! Let the 74th Hunger Games begin!" Rings out the voice of Claudius Templesmith.

_Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven._

I turn back to the Cornucopia.

_Six, Five, Four._

I think briefly of Mom and Thyme.

_Three, Two, One._

My eyes lock on a machete, my favourite, what I will run for when the Gong sounds.

And then that moment arrives. The gong rings and echoes.

And I leap into action, turning my back on every emotion, every feeling, every compassionate thought.

That is when I become a killing machine.


	7. Brutal

**Brutal**

_-Savagely violent_

I move off of the plate with super-human speed and race towards the Cornucopia. Everyone around me mirrors my actions. I get there first, taking the machete into my hands of spinning to face my competitors.

The District 6 boy is pelting towards me, defended only by a knife. With a quick motion, I pull the machete across his chest, digging deep into his heart. His lifeblood is drained almost instantly and he crumples to the ground, twitching and then still.

I spot Clove throwing a knife into the District 9 boy's back, which makes me grin sadistically. Marvel is battling with the girl from District 7 and all he has to arm him is a spearhead. I pluck a spear up off of the ground and throw it towards him. He catches it neatly and finishes the girl.

I take a split second to survey what is in the Cornucopia, which would undoubtedly be ours. I see movement in amongst the crates and send a knife flying into the side of the little boy from District 4. He holds a trident in his hand, which I snatch away as he bleeds to death.

Then I'm out in the open again, where only 9 tributes other than me remain, four of them being careers. Glimmer swiftly stabs the girl from 3 as the boy from 5 comes whirling at me, preparing to throw a knife. I dodge it easily and grab him by the shoulder, plunging the trident deep into his stomach. Then I shake his lifeless body off of it and tear off down the plane.

With a quick punch, I knock the District 6 girl out of my way. She goes flying into the girl from 4 who I think embraces her. Well, I think that until she drops District 6's body, a bloody sword in hand.

Clove has a bow and quiver in hand and sends a deadly silver arrow into the back of the girl from District 10. The shot is rather clumsy, probably not her best weapon and it only takes the girl to the ground, but Marvel is there in a split second, slicing the girl's throat.

As the final kill of the battle, I send my trident in to the head of the girl from District 9, who lies on the ground, mortally wounded. She stops flailing and goes quiet as soon as the weapon makes contact.

We are quiet for a minute, in which I take the time to arm myself with a spear, but then we descend into hysterical laughter. My first kill is done. There's no going back. I think everyone around me is feeling the same way.

"Welcome to the Careers." Glimmer says to the girl from District 4. The kids from 4 tended to be careers too, so I felt bad for killing the little boy, but he was making no attempt to join in with the Bloodbath, so he couldn't have intended to be a career. Now we have one less competitor to worry about.

"Thanks." The girl said, wiping the blade of her sword on her sea green t-shirt.

"What's your name?" Marvel asks.

"Jerrica." she says simply.

I nod and take a quick look around. About two thirds of the initial Cornucopia spoils are now ours by default.

"How many kills?" I ask them.

"Two." Glimmer says quickly.

"Two." Marvel nods.

"One." Clove says, almost embarrassed.

"One." Jerrica says.

"Four." I say triumphantly.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" Marvel says with a laugh.

Then the cannons start. I count aloud, all the way to eleven. My brow furrows in confusion. "We're one kill short." I say.

"Whilst you were in the Cornucopia, Thresh stabbed a kid who was fighting with him over a backpack." Clove explains.

"Huh, so he isn't a friendly giant." Jerrica says, a little worried.

"Don't worry, it's five on one, even if that one is Thresh. I reckon Cato could handle him on his own." Glimmer says silkily and I feel my insides squirm. Was she just flirting with me? But I don't show any signs of being uncomfortable.

I see a little movement in the corner of my eye and whip around, spear raised and poised to throw.

There are two of them, the boys from Three and Twelve. I'm about to throw when they raise their hands in surrender.

"Wait!" Peeta cries. "We're here to talk. We crashed in to each other in the woods and decided we could both be of use to you."

My brow furrows in confusion. "How can you help us, Twelve?" I snarl.

"I can find you Katniss Everdeen." he reasons.

I cock my head to the side, ridiculing him with a menacing glare. "How you gonna do that?" I snap.

"She trusts me. I'll find her, lure her in to a trap and you can finish her off." he says.

We consider this for a second. Maybe it would be worth it. Katniss Everdeen is a strong competitor, but the one weak spot I know she has is the boy before me, who will readily betray her if it means a better chance of survival.

"Deal." Marvel says and steps forward to shake his hand. He tightens his grip until you can almost hear the bones in Peeta's hand cracking under the pressure, but, to my amazement, Peeta doesn't even flinch. "You find her for us within five days, Lover Boy, and we won't lay a finger on you until the final eight. But if you dare betray us, we kill you on sight."

"Deal." Peeta says, his expression strong and composed. Marvel finally releases his hand, which is paper white, and I catch Peeta flexing it, checking for breaks. But Marvel didn't squeeze hard enough, because Peeta is relatively unharmed.

"What do you want?" Clove asks the boy from Three.

He steps forward and speaks nervously. "I can dig up the land mines under the starting podiums, reset them and put them around your supplies, so no one can steal from them." he tells us. "But I want the same guarantee, I want you to let me live until the final eight, then I'll jump ship."

Marvel grins wickedly at the boy. "What do we think?" he asks us.

I wrinkle my nose slightly. "I'm not sure, he looks slippery." I admit. There was something about his small eyes that was mischievous. I didn't trust him in the least, but then, who did I trust in this damned arena?

"I say we take him on." Jerrica says and Glimmer nods to back her up.

"I agree." Marvel says and looks to Clove for confirmation.

"I agree with Cato. We don't want to owe anything." she says.

But Marvel is too confident, too superior, too _stupid_ to take heed of our warnings. Perhaps this boy would turn out to be worthy ally, but Marvel seemed incapable of looking past what will benefit him to consider the disadvantages or the potential threats of every situation. He would be easy to kill. That much is apparent to me, and I can sense everyone around me thinking the exact same thing.

"Deal." he repeats. "But if you make a mistake, or betray us, we hand you over to Clove."

Clove pulls open her jacket to reveal a collection of knives and snarls at the boy who was only a few inches smaller than her.

"We should get tracking." Glimmer tells us.

"Come on, Lover Boy. Let's go." Marvel leers and we set off, taking a backpack each. We put a bag of dried fruit, a sleeping bag, a bottle of water and a bottle of iodine in each and carry our favoured weapons in hand. Who knows what will happen out here.

We run quietly through the woods. Peeta is heavy footed, which annoys me. He's warning every tribute near us where we are. But I keep my temper with him, who knows how useful he will be when we need to hunt down Everdeen.

For now, we just run, stopping rarely to drink a little. The Tribute Training Centres have improved our stamina, speed and endurance greatly so Peeta is getting wheezy before we're breaking a sweat.

The sun is getting low in the sky and our vision is becoming limited. We stop for a half hour, catching our breath and figuring out what to do next. In that time, the sun drops completely.

"Damn, we should have brought those night vision goggles." Clove says.

This was news to me, I hadn't seen them.

"Night vision goggles?" Marvel asks curiously.

"Yeah, they hand them out in Two for the workers in the Stone Quarries. It's really dark down there." she explains and I nod to back her up.

"I've only ever used them once but they're pretty amazing." I say.

"Alright, we'll need to look them out, in the mean time, do you want to camp or try and get back?" Glimmer asks.

But the conversation is broken off when a hazy glow spreads through the trees, a thin plume of smoke filling the sky.

I jerk my head towards the general direction of the fire and place a finger to my lips. Then I'm on my feet, moving stealthily through the woods. The others follow behind, hardly making a sound. Well, we have to ask Peeta to take off his boots first.

As we near the fire, the warm, glowing haze is instantly comforting. The day was hot and gruesome, the night is cold and barren. I can understand why this tribute _wanted_ to light a fire, I just can't believe they were stupid enough to do so.

We're on the final ring of trees before the clearing and I look back quickly to see that everyone is ready. Marvel gives me a swift nod and I pounce forward. I take a fist full of the District 8 girl's hair and drag her back. If there's one thing I've learnt from the Hunger Games, every kill has to be a show, or people get annoyed.

"No!" she cries. "Please don't kill me!"

I can only grit my teeth as I slash open her stomach and drop her to the ground. Her scream is a death scream, so high pitched and awful it sends shivers down my spine.

I stand back and stay clear of the pool of lifeblood on the ground. Peeta is trying hard not to look and I hold Clove's gaze steadily, not flinching at all. Glimmer, Jerrica and Marvel smirk at the dying girl, feeling no remorse or sentiment. That's the difference between us, the five real careers. We all kill thoughtlessly and with no effort or second thoughts. But Clove and I feel it. That split second where you're in the dying person's mind, seeing their last thoughts, last feelings. I saw it every time I killed today.

But my allies don't feel for these people, nor do they understand what they're doing to the families. I do it because it takes me one step closer to home, as I'm sure it is for Clove. For us it's a means of survival. For them, it's a sport.

"Come on." I say, my voice cracking. I turn around and all but march away. Clove is by my side in seconds and puts her hand in to mine. No one sees, apart from the cameras of course. The others are still at the fire. So I take this short time to accept her comfort, to bring her in, to be with her. She would have to die, I knew that even better than her. I wanted to enjoy what time I had left with her.

If there was anything today had made me realise, it was that the Games would be much harder than what I'd originally anticipated.

I was going home, I didn't care how many people I would have to cold-heartedly kill, I didn't care how many last thoughts I had to endure, I didn't care how much it tears me apart to know I was falling for a girl who _had_ to die. I needed to be in my Mom's arms once more. I needed to see my brother's smiling face, covered in mushy banana. I needed to see what he would become. I had no choice. I wasn't ready to die.

Clove looks up at me and for one blissful second, I am at peace in the warmth of her eyes. She opens her mouth to speak. "I-" she says.

Then everyone else breaks through the woods and I step back so quickly it was impossible to tell I'd even moved. I look to them, scared they saw anything but the other Careers are still high from the kill. But Peeta's eyes are trained on me and he is confused. I wonder if he saw us...

For a second, I wonder if what he feels for Katniss is real, if we are actually very alike. The tragic star crossed lovers of District 12, one must die if the other is to survive.

But then I plunge back in to reality, as we trample through the woods, out of the way of the hovercraft. But the night is silent.

"Is she dead?" Glimmer asks, voicing my thoughts.

"I didn't hear a cannon." Jerrica says.

"I'll go back and check." Peeta says.

"Finish her if you need to." adds Clove and tosses him a knife. He catches it badly and the blade comes dangerously close to the vital veins in his wrist, making me wonder why we're keeping him alive. He disappears back the way we came.

Glimmer sidles uncomfortably close to me, but I don't object her. "Are you sure we shouldn't just kill him?" she asks.

I shake my head. "We need him. He's our best chance of finding Everdeen and she is a real competitor. " I explain.

She nods. "But couldn't we just track her? I don't see how Lover Boy could help us. He's no wonder man, he can hardly catch a knife without slitting his wrists." she points out.

A cannon sounds, as if to object to Glimmer's words. "He does what he's told and he'll help us. Besides, Everdeen is too smart for us to track. She's sly, our best bet is to outsmart her." I insist.

Then Lover Boy comes back through the trees, wiping the knife clean on his shirt and handing it back to Clove. "Done." he says simply, but I see the slight shaking in his hands.

Peeta Mellark saw the girl's last thoughts.

And to say it unhinged him is the understatement of the Century.

_**A/N: **__Long chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope it wasn't _too_ violent! Please review, your words mean a lot to me!_


	8. Hunt

**Hunt**

_-Pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food_

The next few days pass quickly and without fanfare. The other tributes are being very careful in avoiding us, learning from the death of the girl from District 8. We spend the days in the trees, seeking out competition.

During the first night, we sleep in the trees. As it's too late to light a fire and cook, we make do with the dried fruit we packed. I eat a few pear halves and an entire apple before settling down to sleep. The meal is anything but satisfying after the meals I had in the Capitol, but it will keep me fed until morning.

I sleep well until I'm woken in the small hours of the night. Jerrica has thrown a pine cone at my head from her nearby tree and tells me she is exhausted and in need of rest. I let her sleep and sit upright. It's easy to stay awake with my upper half exposed to the freezing night. I would rather burrow down in my sleeping bag until morning, but I knew it wasn't safe.

After what I judge to be an hour, I pluck a small fruit from my tree and threw it at Peeta, who awakes with a start.

"What, Cato?" he says in a whisper.

"Watch for an hour, then swap with Marvel." I instruct him and go back to sleep.

Soon, the sun is breaking through the trees. Our first night in the Games is over. To say I am relieved is a colossal understatement. I pack up and return to the ground, downing the rest of my fruit and a few mouthfuls of water. Marvel, Glimmer and Jerrica are just waking, but Peeta and Clove are ready and waiting.

"Shall we go back to check on the explosives kid?" I ask.

Clove nods. "We should stock up whilst we're at it." she says.

Once everyone is ready, we set off, crashing through the undergrowth with even more speed than yesterday. We see no one until we reach the Cornucopia, at what we judge to be midday.

True to his words, the boy from District 3 has piled up our supplies and planted land mines around them. So we refill our water bottles and pack beef and crackers, planning to spend two days out in the arena, clearing out anyone we find.

With our supplies safe and food replenished, we set off in to the wilderness once more.

The days we spend amongst the trees are tiring and unrewarding. On that first day, we do spot Rue, the District 11 girl, but we stupidly leave Glimmer to shoot her with an arrow. Glimmer's aim is off at best, and Rue was gone before I could even raise my spear. We were in silent agreement not to leave Glimmer to take out our opponents.

Rue had just escaped our grasp when we decided to have a break. We set up camp in the shadow of a willow tree, free from the glare of the late afternoon sun. Clove and Marvel set off, hunting for dinner and Jerrica is building a fire.

I am alone with Glimmer.

Hurray for me.

It isn't that Glimmer is in any way unattractive, she is just very... forward. I try to subtly reject her advances, but it's useless. She just makes it look like I'm playing hard to get. Of course, Glimmer isn't actually interested in a relationship, she's trying to make herself sexy and desirable so that sponsors will send her gifts. Possibly, she wants to make us look like star crossed lovers, after observing how well it worked for the District 12 tributes. But in truth, she looks stupid, because the Capitol already know I belong to Clove. Well, in their eyes I do.

In my eyes, I'm rather confused about Clove. We're so alike and we relate to each other on levels I could never relate to Glimmer on. And I really like her, despite knowing we can't be together, I'm just not sure if I like her as much as I'm making out I do.

"So, Cato..." Glimmer says, sitting so close to me she is practically on my lap. "How did you sleep?"

It took colossal effort not to gag. "Great. How about you?" I ask.

"Great." she says biting her lip. I feel sick at the back of my throat. "Has anyone ever told you you're really hot?"

I will forever owe Jerrica for crashing through the trees at that exact moment in time, because otherwise I would have been sick. Glimmer thankfully backs off a bit and gives me space to breath.

I jump at the chance to help Jerrica assemble and light the fire, just so that Glimmer stays back. Soon we have a comforting blaze. Marvel and Clove return with three rabbits, making me grin. We skin and cook them, and the food is incredibly comforting to my nauseated stomach. Clove sits next to me and we don't say much. The silence isn't awkward, but content. We're happy with smiles and looks and the food in our stomachs.

We venture further in to the woods as the sun goes down. I sleep well, being woken twice for guard duty but waking up another career before my hour is complete. If I'm gonna win this, I need my rest and I can't bother myself with teamwork.

On Day Three, we meet absolutely no one, which aggravates me. We stop at midday to finish off yesterday's rabbit and discuss our next move.

"What now?" Marvel says, voicing everyone's thoughts.

We think for a second, but I am first to break the silence. "How many days does Lover Boy have left in his contract?" I ask.

Jerrica grins wickedly. "Why, only two. I think we have our next move, everyone." she says.

Peeta gulps audibly and goes very pale. "Not getting cold feet, are you?" Clove asks as if talking to a toddler.

He shakes his head. "No. Of course not." he says and it's easy to tell this is more for his benefit than ours.

"Good." Marvel says and we begin to pack up. It was time to put Lover Boy to the test.

"I think a good place to start is by that pond we saw yesterday." he says. "I saw a snare down there and it looked like one of the ones she used in training and she'll need a source of water."

We head off towards the pond that we spotted yesterday. When we arrive, Peeta jogs over to the snare and takes a good look.

"It's not hers," Clove says knowingly. "Hers are never that simple."

"How do you know?" Glimmer asks.

"_I _pay attention." Clove says, making Glimmer grimace.

"Set it off," I say, "That's one less rabbit another tribute gets to eat."

With a stick, Peeta sets the trap off and we fill our water bottles, curing them with iodine before setting off again. There hasn't been any other signs of her. "Are you sure she went in this direction?" Marvel snaps as the afternoon drags on. It must be about five o'clock now.

"Yeah," Peeta replies, "I saw her running."

"Whatever," Jerrica says, "Let's just set up camp, we'll go looking again tomorrow."

"Didn't we say to the District Three kid we'd be gone two days?" Glimmer asks.

"Yeah," Clove says, "But he's too scared to do anything drastic. The supplies are safe for tonight."

We set up camp and have a dinner of a rabbit. This area isn't as populous as yesterday's.

Then we go to sleep for the night. We're too sleepy to bother with guard rota.

So we don't see the fire until the acrid smoke is choking us.

_**A/N:**__ This is short by this story's standards and I'm really sorry if it was kinda boring, but this is a boring time for the Careers! From now on, I think things will be pretty action packed :D As always, please review!_


	9. Burn

**Burn**

_-__Flame or glow while consuming a material such as coal or wood_

My eyes snap open to a world of flames. A ten foot wall of fire is consuming everything in its path, and I know 'everything in its path' will soon become us.

"Clove! Wake up!" I scream as I pull my rucksack on to my back and shimmy down my tree at a speed that skins my hands.

She joins me on the ground and we set off at a sprint, dodging trees, fleeing animals and... fireballs? Yes, fireballs are crashing to the ground around us, obliterating everything in their path. Glimmer and Marvel join us in our furious run, Jerrica following seconds after.

I actually hoped they'd be too slow so that I wouldn't have to pick them off later, but I get no such luck. They run beside me like stray dogs that follow you home. You don't want them, but what can you do?

The fire seems to be curving, like it's pushing us in a certain direction, but I don't question it, running like I never have before. One thing I had discovered in the Games was that you are capable of awe-inspiring things when you fear for your life. And I _mean_ awe-inspiring, as in amazing and also scary.

The smoke of the fire combined with the speed I run at is enough to make my lungs collapse. The smoky air is by no means decent, and burns my lungs like I'm drawing in acid and my limbs are becoming oxygen starved and sore. No matter how fast my brain tells them to move, their pace is slowing.

I launch myself over a fallen tree and glance quickly over my shoulder to see that Clove is here with me. She's quick and keeps up with easily. Glimmer's legs are failing her and Marvel is coughing out air as fast as he is taking it in. Jerrica and Peeta run alongside us, fighting to stay alive with admirable ferocity.

Just as the fire grows close enough to lick my heels, it dies and recedes until it's just a flicker in the distance, the smoke lingering longer but eventually disappearing.

Marvel cries out in relief but falls into a bout of body-racking coughs whilst Glimmer and I break in to hysterical laughter. The others seem unaffected, but Clove's breathing is shallow and rattling.

"Is everyone okay?" I ask, though my eyes are specifically trained on Clove.

I'm blind and deaf to the other responses, I just watch Clove grab her sides and give me a microscopic nod. I breathe out a sigh of relief, but then break down into sharp, sore coughs.

Glimmer comes to my aid, sitting me down on a log and patting my back like that would help. When I'm done, she passes me her water bottle and helps me drink, as if I was a toddler.

"Come on. Some other tributes must have been driven out by that. We'll find them easily," Jerrica suggests.

I nod and push myself to my feet. We take off, just an easy jog, allowing our lungs to recover. I hear a scratching noise up ahead and quicken my pace. "Did you hear anything?" I ask the others.

Clove nods and rips off ahead. I follow quickly. Soon she's in view.

I scoff. "Girl on fire just got burned!" I call loudly.

The others laugh as we break in to a sprint. The wounded Katniss Everdeen is up ahead, limping away. We chase her to a tree, which she scrambles up, well and truly cornering herself.

"Smooth move, ex-lax!" Marvel taunts.

I drop back a little and whisper in Jerrica's ear, "Keep an eye on Lover Boy, he still holds a candle for her," I instruct.

She nods and glances at Peeta, who is, in fact, looking worried and guilty. I would give a lot to see in his head right now and know what he's thinking.

We grind to a halt at the foot of the tree the Girl on Fire occupies. "How's everything with you?" she asks cheerily.

I raise my eyebrows but then settle into an easy grin. This would be like shooting fish in a barrel. "Well enough," I reply, "Yourself?"

"It's been a bit warm for my taste!" she says.

Marvel cackles like a hyena, "She thinks she has a chance!" he murmurs.

"Idiot," Glimmer says.

"The air's better up here, why don't you join me?" she jeers.

"Think I will!" I reply, "Seems the Girl on Fire really is as airheaded as we thought, guys!"

The careers laugh, but Peeta's face is a stony mask.

"Shocked to see your boyfriend with us, Fire Girl?" I ask.

She is silent.

"Saw sense and agreed to help us track you!" Clove adds.

"And you thought he _actually_ loved you!" Glimmer sneers.

Nothing.

I scan the lower section of the tree, looking for handholds, but my study is interrupted by Glimmer offering me her arrows. "Take these," she says.

"I'll do better with my sword," I tell her and take a firm grip of the tree.

The climb is easy at first, but it soon seems idiotic of me to decide I was the right person to climb. The slim branches start to creak under my weight and now I see why Everdeen is so merry. We're too strong, too heavy, too well-fed to catch the malnourished little twerp.

The branch I stand on cracks under my weight and I go spiralling towards the ground. I land with a thump, the impact knocking what little air I'd recovered after the fire from my body.

Clove pulls me to my feet, giving me a glance over before declaring me healthy.I wheeze a little, but return my concentration to Everdeen, who now sits a further few metres up the tree.

Stupid old Glimmer takes it upon stupid self to scale the tree next, stopping when her weight becomes too much and firing awful shots at Fire Girl, which miss by miles.

"God's sake!" Clove snaps when Glimmer returns to earth. My little comrade unzips her jacket and flashes a beautiful range of knives. She chooses carefully and is taking aim when a panicked Peeta speaks up.

"Let's just wait her out!" he suggests, "She has to come down sometime, either that or she dies of thirst!"

Clove grumbles but nods. "Seems best. I don't know if I can throw that far," she tells us.

We agree upon waiting until morning and collect wood for a fire, leaving Peeta to coax a blaze out of the charred branches we find. I catch a fawn with Jerrica, which we skin and roast. We eat a hearty meal before the anthem begins.

The sky announces that there were no deaths today. A lot of us came close to it though, some closer than others. Glimmer proves this by flashing a large burn on her calf, which explains her slow pace and slight limp.

When everyone else goes to sleep, I take first turn of guarding Fire Girl. It's about halfway through my shift when Clove stirs. She comes and sits next to me, pulling her slightly singed sleeping bag around the both of us.

"Eventful day," she says.

I smile a little, "Sure was. We almost got cooked and we found the infamous Girl on Fire who conveniently decided to trap herself in a tree," I tell her.

She giggles but then goes quiet. "This isn't what I thought it would be," she admits, "I thought the Games would be polished and glorified, but it really is as raw and hard as it is on screen."

I nod. "There was a point after I volunteered that I'd convinced myself the whole thing was staged and I couldn't actually die," I say.

"I went through that point too," she tells me. "Right now, I regret volunteering. I hate knowing that there's some great people I have to kill if I want to get back home. Like Everdeen, she would probably be great fun to hang out with."

"Yeah, and Lover Boy. I bet he's got a heart of gold," I add.

"And Marvel,"

"And Glimmer,"

"And Jerrica,"

"And you," I finally say.

"And you," Clove seconds. "You're a great guy, Cato. It's a shame the first time we actually talked was when we knew we'd have to kill each other."

"And you're a great girl, Clove. It sucks balls that one of us ain't gonna make it," I tell her.

"I wonder if they're even showing this conversation at all," she muses.

"They won't be showing anything that goes on between us. Takes too much attention off the 'Star-Crossed Lovers of District 12'," I say.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It's just the angle they're playing this year," I say evasively.

"No, I meant about us..." she says.

A small boyish smile tugs at the corners of my lips. "I don't know what I meant either," I admit.

"I think I do," she says.

I turn to look at her and see her staring back, her pretty hazel eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Before I can stop myself, I lean in to kiss her and she meets me halfway.

Our kiss is rough and passionate. She knots her hands into my hair and I caress her face with my calloused finger tips. Our tears mingle where our lips meet, creating a bittersweet product of our fear, resentment and, above all else, love.

I feel scared. Scared for Clove and myself over some of the things we have said tonight. Scared for my mother and Thyme, who might pay for our stupidity.

But I allow myself to enjoy this moment.

After all, soon one of us would die.


	10. Expose

**Expose**

_-Make (something) visible, typically by uncovering it._

There's deadly silence.

Then the shocking _crack._

And millions of Tracker Jackers fill the air.

I let out a blood curdling cry and dart from the little camp, just when I feel the first sting. The effect is instantaneous.

Pain spreads like wildfire throughout my shoulder, travelling up my neck and down my torso. My vision blurs a little.

Then a second sting to my right thigh and the same effects begin. The world becomes a blurry haze and I slow for a second, fumbling with my shoulder. I find the walnut sized sting and grope around for a second. The stinger is almost submerged in swollen skin but I manage to extract it.

By the time the first stinger is out, I feel number three on my forehead and number four on my left shin. The pain is agonising and I start to see things. Massive purple butterflies. Glowing white gnome-like creatures at my feet, running with me.

I try to get out the other stingers, but it's pointless, the stings are too swollen.

Then the trees stop and I feel grass swishing around my ankles.

The welt on my shin is obstructing my speed and I feel Clove brush past me. Marvel runs ahead, his left arm greatly distorted. I risk a glance behind me at the blur the world has become.

"Where's Lover Boy?" I cry.

"I don't give a shit!" Marvel snaps, his voice trembling with fear.

God damn it.

He wasn't getting off this easy.

More stings follow as I turn sharply and head back in the direction I came, drawing my machete from my belt as I run. The arena is fading to black and white, every leaf on every tree shining like a new penny.

I hear panicked voices up ahead and as I burst through the trees, I see Everdeen running away.

Peeta Mellark stands before me, his fear filled face covered in welts.

"You'll pay for that, Lover Boy!" I threaten and shove my machete deep into his thigh.

All I hear is a near girly scream, and then I pass out and the hallucinations take over.

* * *

><p>When I wake, I'm in the Cornucopia. A throbbing, hangover-like pain is present in my head and my body aches dully, like growing pains.<p>

"Thank god," comes Clove's voice.

I gently push myself up on to my elbows, an act so sore it makes me groan, and survey my body slowly.

"How many?" I ask.

"Stings? I lost count at ten," Clove answers. I turn my head slowly towards her and see she is relatively unharmed, just a few stings here and there. Marvel is propped up against the metal wall of the Cornucopia and has the explosives boy tending to him.

My own stings are still relatively large. "You're looking well," I remark.

"I had the sense to take out the stingers as soon as I felt them," she replies, "as you did a few times. Marvel, however, being the genius that he is, dug his fingers right into his stings and ripped them right open. So half of his stings are a bloody mush of pus and the other half are the size of apples."

I snort. "Sounds like him... how did I get here then?" I ask.

"When I woke up I went to find you and practically dragged you back here. According to explosives boy, I was out for one day and you were out for another one after that," she tells me, "Glimmer and Jerrica are dead."

I nod slowly. "Okay. So it's day seven. Fourteen dead, ten to go. What next?"

"I think it's best you two get better, then we can get hunting," she says.

"Okay..." I say.

It isn't until the next day that I'm well enough to go hunting. Marvel is looking even more battered and bloodied than me.

We start off slowly, Clove and I doing our best to ignore Marvel's complaining. At what we judge to be midday, we take a short break. We eat what is left over of Day Five's fawn. It was old, but not off, as we're careful to inspect each bite.

We've only just set off after lunch when we hear a curious noise. There's a thump, then an odd rustling, like something being dragged. It's very faint, the person is quite far away. I motion to Clove an Marvel, telling them to be quiet and follow me.

I squint a little as I look through the trees. It takes me awhile but I soon make out the shape of the boy from District 10, poorly camouflaged as part of a tree trunk. The curious dragging noise was the sound of him walking with his crippled foot.

Clove sees him seconds after me and pulls her jacket open. She stokes the handles of her many knives, finally choosing a thin, sharp, smooth blade that weighed little more than a feather. She throws with admirable precision, and I hear the slight whistle of the blade in the air, then a sickening thump as it hits home. A canon follows seconds later.

I rush to take hold of the boy's pack and supplies before the hovercraft appears. He has roots and berries and a small pack of medicines. They were Capitol made and very specifically labelled, most likely a gift from a sponsor.

"What is there?" Marvel asks.

"Food and meds," I answer.

"Are the meds any use to us?" he says, peering over my shoulder at them.

"No, they were for his ankle," I reply, "But who knows?" I add, putting them in my backpack.

"Let's just get back, I need a rest," Marvel groans.

I roll my eyes and get to my feet. "Fine, just for an hour or so."

We return to the Cornucopia plane, where the District Three boy sits under the awning he set up. The day is growing increasingly hotter and my head is beginning to throb.

As we wait for Marvel to man up, I take some pain relief meds and drink a bottle of water. I'm the only one sitting outside when we see it.

"Clove!" I call. She emerges from the Cornucopia and looks up to see a think column of smoke rising from the trees.

"Let's go," she says, going back into the Cornucopia to get Marvel and her bag.

I'm ready to go when she asks me about our guard.

"I think he should stay here, just in case," Marvel reasons.

I shake my head, "He's coming. We need him in the woods and his job here is done. Anyway, his guarantee is finished and he hasn't realised. We're at the last eight. If we just take him out into the woods and attack him without warning, he's dead," I say quietly, making sure he doesn't hear.

"What if Lover Boy comes along? He knows all about the security!" Marvel says.

"I know where I cut him! He's dying, he ain't in any shape to raid us." I assure them.

They still look worried, so I just shake my head. "Fine, District Three stays here," I snap and throw a spear towards him. He catches it badly, almost slicing his hand open, making me wonder whether he'll make a difference to the safety of our supplies.

We set off at a sprint, racing towards the trees at a tremendous speed. "Just for letting that kid stay, when we find Everdeen, I kill her, no interference," I insist. They don't say a word.

We run long and hard up the steep slope of arena, towards the smoke. I think of Thresh, who may be luring us in to some kind of trap. The only person bigger than me in the competition could be around any corner.

Suddenly, we break in to a small circular clearing, the smouldering remains of the fire before our feet. No one is to be found, we check the surrounding area thoroughly.

No sooner do we confirm there is no one near us, than a second tower of smoke appears in the sky.

"It's a trick," Clove says venomously. "Let's go, let's get back to the Cornucopia."

The words have barely left her mouth when there is a ground shaking explosion.

"Shit," Marvel simply says and races off through the trees. Clove and I follow without hesitation.

We run like hell hounds are on our trail, arriving at the grassy plain within minutes of the explosion.

Sure as hell, our supplies are gone.

A deafening roar rips through me. "No!" I scream. I arrive at the smoking rubble and kick the remains of a pan high into the air. The explosives boy is pale and horrified, unable to do anything but stare.

With three long strides, I am by his side. I grab his head in my hands and yell "Stupid little-!" The rest of my words are drowned out by the sickening crack of his neck breaking.

* * *

><p>Adrenaline and pure rage keeps us up into the early hours of the morning, by which we've spent so much time tracking the only thing really awake in our bodies is our minds. We spent about twelve hours running through the trees, hunting for our competitors. Now exhausted, we lie on the ground in our sleeping bags, waiting for rest to pull us under.<p>

I sleep easily that night, probably the best since the start of the Games. Even anger must subside to exhaustion in the end, I figure. I'm awoken a lot during the night to take my fair share of watch duty. As our numbers have been halved, our watches have doubled.

When morning finally arrives, I find every part of my body aches. I sit up slowly and eat a meagre breakfast of a handful of dried fruit and some water.

Clove is awake too, but Marvel still sleeps. Dozy sod.

"What shall we do today?" Clove asks, her voice filled with pain.

"I really can't be bothered with tracking right now," I tell her honestly.

She nods. "I agree, we did a lot yesterday. Do you want to just chill for awhile? After all, even your stings aren't better!" she points out. My stings are reducing in size but they're still hot and sore. Right now, they were the least of my worries.

"Sounds good to me," I answer.

Based on that, we do little for a few hours. At midday, I set up some simple snares, catching one rabbit. We skin and cook it and have a halfway decent lunch.

"I think we should get going," I finally say when we finish lunch.

Marvel groans, "I'm so sore, Cato!" he moans.

I grimace, "What a baby!" I snap, "Clove, I reckon we should just slit his throat now and be rid of him!"

"Shut it, two," he snaps.

"Ooh! Hear that, Clove? Marvel's scared! Scared of dying!" I jibe.

Marvel jumps to his feet, pulling his sword from his belt and training it on my head. "If you tried anything, I'd make it my last action to kill you," he replies.

I raise my eyebrows and gently push his sword away. "So, I take it that you're good to go?" I ask carefully.

He spits at my feet and pulls his bag on to his back. "There's a reason I'm still alive and well! I'm smarter than Glimmer, than Jerrica, than Lover Boy, than every kid that's died so far. Remember it, District 2!" he snaps.

Marvel had exposed his true nature. He was showing his real colours.

_**A/N:** Wow! Ch9 already! I'm sorry it took so long, really I am! But I hope you like it! We're drawing close to the inevitable and dramatic climax of our favourite Hunger Games duo and I really hope it may jerk some tears! Until I upload again, DFTBA and please leave a review._


	11. Tribute

**Tribute**

_-An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration._

"Maybe we should go our separate ways until sunset," Clove suggests. "After all, the competition is heating up and I think the careers would stand a better chance if we weren't at each other's throats." She looks at me worriedly, as if she too had realised Marvel really was a worthy opponent.

"Sounds good, I'm sick of being underestimated," Marvel snaps.

I nod in agreement and look to Marvel. "What do you fight best with?" I ask flatly.

"Spear and sword," he answers in a monotone.

"Me too," I reply, taking one of my two swords from my belt and offering him it.

He takes his second spear from his back and holds it out. We exchange weapons wearily, each ready to jump out of reach should the other decide to pull a fast move.

Now suitably equipped, Marvel sprints off into the trees, just leaving Clove and I standing there, face to face.

"That was too close for comfort," she says with a sigh.

"You think he had a chance against me?" I ask.

"Cato, he was angry. People do scary things when they're angry," she tells me.

"The scum wouldn't have left a scratch on me," I assure her.

"You're not invincible, Cato! Those stings prove just that. Get off your high horse, this is real. The Games are real, and you could die," she snaps, making me shiver.

There's a second of icy silence, then I find what little decency I have to apologise.

"You're right, I've been really arrogant lately..." I say, running a hand through my hair with a sigh belonging to a man twice my age.

"Marvel could have killed you on the spot, I was scared out of my wits and all you could do was taunt him," she says, her voice quivering as she fights back tears.

"I know, I'm really sorry, Clove. I'll be careful, I'll watch out for both of us, yeah?" I offer.

She nods as a single tear streaks down her face. I brush it away, allowing my hand to linger there for a second. "I'll see you at sunset. Please, just hide until then, you have food and water, find a cave or something-" I instruct her, but she cuts across me.

"What sort of career hides in the face of the enemy?" she asks.

I feel the urge to tell her again, but I know it's hopeless. My small comrade could handle herself and I had to trust her to do just that. "Okay... I'll see you soon," I say.

She nods and smiles, then disappears into the trees.

Today would be lonely, that's for sure.

The day is filled with running and hiding and hunting and trap-setting. I search for tributes and their trails for a few hours with no reward. Then I stop to drink and eat the remainder of rabbit from lunch, filling my water canteen and purifying it.

Less than a half hour later, I catch a trail. Just a few clues. A broken branch here, trodden grass there. I follow it for awhile to a patch of briar bushes. So, I pluck a spear from my back, ready to throw and shove my way through the prickly thorns. Sitting on the other side of the briar bush wall, is Marvel who is fiddling with some sort of rope.

"Jesus, Marvel, you scared the crap out of me!" I snap, clutching my chest.

"Not my intention but very amusing," he says in a resigned tone, concentrating all his efforts on the net he's weaving. When I look, it seems about three by three metres and he was just finishing the last patch.

"How long did that take?" I ask, stunned.

"Oh, I've been making it since the games started, Jerrica taught me. She had a bit of a thing for me, you see, but the Games isn't any place for a relationship," he says nonchalantly, like the fact he's wove a massive net in the space of about a week was no big feat. When I don't reply, he continues, "Anyway, I didn't like her that much, she was a bit Glimmer-y for my tastes. You just look at Jerrica and you instantly think of the moron I had to call my district partner. Clove's much better... much prettier."

I feel my chest constrict at that, a monster of jealousy awakening in my stomach and I feel myself reaching for my sword.

"Ooh, Cato has a thing for Clove! Don't worry, your secret's safe with me... or at least Panem, we won't say a word!" he says with a wicked grin.

Then I notice something. "Marvel, where's your sword and spear?" I ask. He had no weapon whatsoever.

"Oh, the spearhead broke when I was hunting and the sword's sheath strap tore. It was either leave it or carry a three-foot sword around like it was as light as a feather," he replied.

I roll my eyes at that. "Let's go," I tell him, pulling him to his feet. "I'll look around and meet you back where we saw those multi-coloured weeds that day before the Tracker Jacker incident."

"Fine, see you there," he agrees and we split, running in separate directions.

More running and hunting and tracking follows. I don't find a thing, which frustrates me. I end up just heading to the rendezvous point early, as I have nothing to do and I'd patrolled this area already today.

When I get there, I see Marvel crouched behind a tree, motioning for me to be quiet and come to him. I go to his side, crouching next to him as he points at something in the trees and at a rock nearby. I look to where he's pointing and see a figure hopping from tree to tree. It's Rue, the little girl, and she looks exhausted.

Then I look to the rock and see a rope tied around it. I follow the rope with my eyes into the tree canopy above and see it's supporting a weighted net dangling above the little stream that runs through the clearing. I can't help but grin at Marvel, this was ingenious. There was no way the little girl was getting out of here alive.

Much to my satisfaction, she drops to the ground and pulls her water skin from her bag as she crosses the clearing, wiping her sweaty forehead as she goes. She kneels by the stream and unscrews the lid of her water skin, filling it up and putting some iodine inside.

I allow Marvel to carry out his plan and hand him my spear. I watch carefully as he snakes his way to the rock without making a sound. In no less than three seconds, he severs the rope with his spear, effectively pinning the girl to the ground, then runs to her side, poised to kill.

The little girl screams. "Katniss! Katniss!" she cries, answered by Everdeen's calls that are getting nearer and nearer.

"Come on, Marvel, hurry up!" I mutter quietly.

No sooner had Everdeen broke through the trees than Marvel let his spear fly. The spear hit home, as did an arrow from Everdeen's bow and Marvel crumpled to the ground, next to his dying victim.

I keep silent but I feel my blood run cold. Marvel, a physical wonder, a dangerous opponent, a brilliant mind I was just beginning to understand, was dying and I could do nothing. The feeling of being powerless struck like a cobra, it's cold venom consuming my body.

I would have a chance to talk to him, I reassured myself. I'd get the chance to take back my weapons and say goodbye. I thought that, until I saw he'd pulled the arrow from his neck. He would drown in his own blood in a matter of seconds. At first I feel angry at his stupidity, but then understanding arrives. He did not wish to prolong his suffering.

Everdeen, however, cares not for Marvel, shoving him aside like yesterday's leftovers. She points her bow into the trees, shrieking, "Are there anymore?"

Rue assures her there is not and I can't help but sneer. Everdeen was as good as dead. I reach for my spear, ready to kill her, and then realise it was lodged in the stomach of the little girl. All I had was my sword, and what chance of survival did I have when I had to get within three feet of a girl with a bow and arrows?

So I sat, the feeling of helplessness growing worse. But soon, the helplessness succumbs to rage.

"You blew up the food?" Rue asks.

"Every last bit," Katniss replies.

I grab the hilt of my sword, letting it be a stress ball of sorts. Perhaps it would be worth it... just to run at her and kill her.. perhaps I could make it.

But then I think of Clove, alone, starving and with no one to protect her and I bite my tongue. She needed me, I couldn't risk my life over something as trivial as revenge when there was someone counting on me.

"You have to win," Rue says.

"I'm going to win for both of us now," Katniss tells her.

_Fat chance_, is all I can think. Then Marvel's canon interrupts their heart-warming exchange and I feel like I could be sick. But Everdeen doesn't give it a second thought.

They talk for a bit, but I don't listen, all I can think about is that there's one less person to have my back, one less person in these Games for me to give a damn about. And I felt like crap.

Then, Everdeen began to sing. I recognised the song. My grandfather won the Games and an ally of his had been from District 12. He often told me about how on sleepless nights they'd sing their District's lullabies to each other. He'd taught me this one. The Meadow Song, if I remembered correctly.

I sing quietly along with her, just to give me something to think about, take my mind off Marvel. The words are like medicine to the numbness in my body, soothing me, making me wake up.

When the song ends, I don't even breathe, too scared Everdeen will discover me. Then, the mockingjays in the trees pick up the song and regurgitate it, just to make us feel worse. Rue's canon fires, the sound echoing eerily through the trees. Much to my annoyance, Everdeen strips Marvel and Rue of their belongings then does something that takes my breath away. She grabs the weeds' blossoms and decorates her ally's body, braiding them through her hair, covering Marvel's spear wound, making her look like she could be asleep.

I feel a smile threatening the corner of my lips but I fight it back, reminding myself she killed Marvel. But when Katniss actually looks at his body, I see regret and guilt in her eyes, like she too has reached the conclusion I am reaching.

When I look at Katniss, I no longer see a threat to my health, something to be destroyed, I see someone like me who wants to strike back. Someone who wants to stand up to the Capitol and show them that we weren't their property, to be disposed of at will.

I know I was the one who put myself in this situation. I volunteered. But now, I realise that the Hunger Games were so much more than winning eternal glory. They were a device to scare the people of Panem into behaving, like scary bedtime stories used by parents on irritating children. The Games were designed to unhinge their participants, one thought at a time. Designed to make an example of their victims and victimise the winner most of all, for the winner had to live with the murders and the deaths and yet be treated like it was some great achievement.

The birds fell silent and I heard the whir of the hovercraft descending. Everdeen leaves and I stand, going to Marvel's side with robotic movements. I had seconds.

"I'm sorry, bro, sorry I didn't stop her, sorry for all the things I said..." I tell his body, tears streaking down my face. "You were a great guy. See you on the other side," I tell him. I gently close his blank eyes and rummage in my pocket for a spare spear head, placing it on his still chest. "For Marvel, the best spearman I ever knew. Goodbye, bro," I say and run from the clearing.


	12. Announce

_**A/N: **__So, when I was reading over Ch9 I realised I made a mistake in my counting. Cato said there were 8 tributes left when there was actually 9. Sorry about that! Hopefully I haven't made any other mistakes and if I have, I'm trusting you to point them out to me :)_

**Announce**

_-Make a public and typically formal declaration about a fact or occurrence or intention._

You know that god awful feeling you get when you mucked something up and the guilt is like hundred pound weights pressing down on your chest? Yeah, I have that feeling. Also exhaustion, hunger, rage and just plain nastiness.

It doesn't take long to return to Clove. We meet up at the Cornucopia and all she does is stare at me, taking in my sullen, ragged appearance. "I watched him die," I tell her, "And I didn't do a god damned thing."

"Cato, it's okay. This isn't your fault. He had to die anyway and you would have felt worse if it was you that had to do it," Clove insists, putting a hand on my arm. I lock my fingers around hers and just breathe deeply for a second.

"It's a little out of character, don't you think? The confident volunteer from District Two has turned into a ragged, guilty wreck," I say quietly.

"The Games show who you really are, and you've finally discovered what you're all about. You're vile, vengeful and rather short-tempered but you're humane and you become great friends with a person without even realising. That's the guy I love, the Cato I want," she tells me and all is quiet for a second, save for a sniff from me as I smile at her words. "Who killed him?" she asked gently.

"Everdeen," Is all I can say.

"Don't worry about her. We'll stop her." she says after a moment of silence. "Let's move camp, we're too conspicuous here," she tells me.

I only nod, wandering inside the Cornucopia and coming out with our extra stuff. Carrying it singlehandedly, I allow Clove to take the lead as we move into the woods. High upon a hill at the opposite end of the known arena from Marvel's death site, we pitch up camp. Unfortunately, the tent we had was destroyed in the explosion. We make do with the trees instead.

As the light of the day fades, Clove and I sit side by side, propped up against a tree. She twines her fingers into mine and her comforting warmth lifts some of the iciness in my heart.

"Clove... you do realise one of us has to die?" I ask, feeling my throat constrict.

"Of course I do, Cato. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy what time we have left together. It stinks that I only realised how much I liked you when we can't be together," she says quietly, looking down at our entwined hands.

"Say I died, don't you think it would be easier on you if we parted as friends, not 'doomed lovers'?"

"And regret for the rest of my life that I didn't spend what little time left we had together as what we truly wanted to be? No chance, Cato," she admits with a sniff.

That makes me smile. "I always envied that about you. You have a beautiful mind, whereas I'm just arrogant," I say.

"Your mind may not be so beautiful but your heart is made of gold. I think that shone through today, with Marvel. He's in someplace better now, Cato, not constantly having to watch his back. You don't need to be guilty," she says.

"You're right," I say with a sigh.

I don't have time to say anything else for the seal is in the now-dark sky and the anthem begins its solemn march. Just two faces tonight, Marvel and Rue. After the droll affair is over, there's a second of silence between us.

"How many of us are left?" I ask, scratching my head.

"You and I. Everdeen and Lover boy-" she begins.

"-who is inexplicably still alive. The District 11 boy and..." I trail off, unable to think.

"The District 5 girl. You know, the one who looks like a fox," Clove tells me.

"Oh yeah. The sneaky one. Have you seen Thresh or her since we got here?" I ask.

"No, I haven't. I'm a little scared of Thresh, to be honest," she says with a wince.

"I won't let him touch you, I promise," I say and lean over to kiss her on the cheek.

With that, we climb into our tree and go to sleep, the trauma and exhaustion of the day proving too much, even for us.

I'm very restless that night, so much so that I had to tie myself to the tree to prevent me from falling. I knew in the back of my mind that everyone would be very active now that six of us remained. Five left to die. And we all wanted out of here just as bad as the next person did.

There's little to do the next day but track and run. After yesterday, I'm pretty exhausted, but I put in the effort anyway. I let my pain over Marvel's death fade, and realise that his death was good news for me. One person closer to home.

Our searches have no product and soon the sun is setting. "Want to head back?" I ask Clove.

She nods once and we start a slow jog back to our camp, where we eat up our remaining provisions. We had nothing left but our water bottles, iodine, sleeping bags and weapons.

The seal flashes in the night sky and the anthem plays, announcing there were no deaths today. If today had really been that sparse, I can only imagine what catastrophes they had planned for tonight.

But, with the ending of the anthem came the sound of trumpets, then Claudius Templesmith starts to speak. Clove and I exchange incredulous glances before settling down to listen.

"Congratulations to the final six of the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games!" he says. "The Gamemakers have decided upon a rule change which decrees that two tributes may win the Games if they are from the same District!"

I'm incredibly confused and I feel Clove's hand on my shoulder.

"To clarify, the two surviving tributes may both win if they are from the same District," he repeats before silence sets in.

I look to Clove, who's looking back at me, grinning like a school child. Without thinking, I pull her close and bring her lips to mine.

She pulls away first and starts laughing with relief. "We can both win! We can both survive!" she giggles.

"I know!" I say in a hysterical tone, my head light with anticipation.

Nothing in the Games could have ruined that moment of pure relief and ecstasy.

We could both live. We could be together!

* * *

><p>God knows what went on in the next few days because there were no deaths or Capitol-induced tragedies. Two days after the announcement and twelve days into the Games, according to Clove and things have been unnervingly quiet. "I reckon Everdeen caught up with Lover Boy," I tell Clove as we sit in our tree one hot, sticky afternoon. The weather was picking up. The days were very hot, the nights were very cold. Just to unnerve us, I suspect.<p>

"Seems likely, as that's their angle this year. Either that or there's some epic chase going on that we don't know about..." Clove mused. "Why isn't Lover Boy dead already? It's been a week since you cut him."

"I reckon he's got an infection and he's slowly and painfully dying. Serves him right, helping Everdeen. He's beyond her help and when he's gone, Everdeen will be a wreck," I explain as I push myself to my feet. "We should probably get hunting."

She nods and follows me, pulling a knife out of the inside of her jacket.

I find deer tracks a half mile away and we quietly trace them to their owner. Through a crack in the trees, we spot a small fawn, chewing on some grass. I raise my spear, take aim and let it fly.

Then the trumpets rocket through the air and the fawn runs. My spear strikes a tree, it's head snapping right off. "God damn it!" I snarl, jogging over to the broken spear and reattaching the damaged head.

Then I pause to listen to Templesmith who has yet another announcement, this time announcing us to a feast. About time, we were getting hungry. But then he tells us that something we desperately need will be there, as if Clove and I needed more reason to appear. The feast would be at dawn, at the Cornucopia.

"Are we going?" I ask Clove when the announcement finishes.

"Definitely," she replies with a shark like smile.

We eventually catch a rabbit, which we cook and eat. The first solid we've ate in a day or so. Hunting around here was particularly poor but it was very safe in the way of competition. We didn't even need a guard duty anymore, we were just careful of when we lit fires and what sort of wood we used.

"What's our game plan?" I ask as I swallow a bite of rabbit.

"I run in, get the pack, kill who I can, you cover me," she proposes.

"I'd feel more comfortable if I was in the clearing and you were safe," I assure her.

"It isn't as simple as that. I'm smaller and faster. I have more weapons to throw that I don't even need to retrieve and there's Lover Boy," Clove told me.

"Peeta's dying, no doubt about it," I tell her.

"You don't know that, what if he's smarter than he looks and he managed to heal himself?" she asks. "Why don't we run in together?"

"Nah, we need someone who can see from every angle what's going on," I say. "Okay, new idea. We let District 12 make the first move. If Everdeen and Lover Boy go for the Cornucopia together, so do we. If it's Everdeen, I search for Mellark. If it's Mellark, you look for Everdeen," I say. Clove may be shorter than Everdeen but she was stronger and faster.

"Agreed," Clove says with a smile.

"Nervous?" I ask.

"As if, Cato!" she replies, chuckling.


	13. Vendetta

**Vendetta**

_-_ _A blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer or the murderer's family._

Sometimes people have big black gaps in their memory, related to concussion, fatigue, drinking, injury, whatever, right?

Well, I wish today was one of those.

Today was easily the worst day of my life. Worse than the day a stone quarry collapsed and killed my dad. Worse than watching my sister meet her demise in the Games. Heck, worse than the day my baby brother fell ill and I was seriously scared he'd die too.

Am I just a disaster magnet? Is that it? It seems like everyone I love has passed on unnaturally or has at least came close to it.

But then, I suppose you're wondering why this day was the worst. Proceed with caution, my head is going to turn to shit before your eyes.

* * *

><p>I awoke with a start, a mockingjay swooping low over my head and singing a tune obnoxiously loud. I knock it out of the air with one strong blow, causing an already awake Clove to giggle uncontrollably. "Cato!" she reprimanded, getting out of the tree to see if it was okay.<p>

"Too loud," I point out groggily as I eat a little leftovers and water for breakfast. It was still dark. "Ready for the feast?" I ask.

Once she has assured herself the bird is okay, she gets back into the tree and starts to pack her stuff away. I follow, putting my sleeping bag in my rucksack and putting away everything of value. "Are you ready for the feast?" I ask with a smile.

"Yup!" she replies, smiling like a pixie and throwing an acorn at my head.

I laugh and catch it, rolling it between my fingers before discarding it and climbing out of the tree. Landing on the ground with a thump, I holler up to her, "Come on!"

She joins me on the ground a few seconds later and together we set off for the Cornucopia. "Remember the plan?" she asks as we trudge through the forest, the scent of the old leaves underfoot setting a light, sweet air.

"Yeah, fire girl and lover boy run, so do we. Katniss runs, you do, I look for lover boy and vice versa," I rattle off, putting a childish spring in my step. "Devilishly simple."

"Exactly! And we'll own this thing, I bet we'll be at least one tribute closer to home tonight!" she replies with a grin, mimicking my bouncy step.

"I sure hope so! Food is getting scarce," I point out, taking her hand in mine.

She looks down at our interlocked hands and starts grinning manically. "I think we can do it, I think we'll make it home," she says, turning her gaze to the gloomy sky overhead and counting the stars quietly.

"You bet we will," I say and kiss her on the cheek.

"So, I get to kill Everdeen, yeah?" she asks.

I puff out a large sigh. "I'd prefer if-"

"Cato, if I get to her first, I kill her, no matter what vendetta you have against her," Clove insists.

"Fine," I say, "But you have to give the audience a good show."

We arrive at the Cornucopia plane in about a quarter hour and all is quiet. We're silent as we approach and we take a seat at the foot of a tree, gazing across the plane but still camouflaged. Clove gives my hand a reassuring squeeze and then let's go, taking a knife from the inside of her jacket and inspecting the razor sharp blade.

With a cruel look in my eyes, I take my spear from my back and use a stone to sharpen its head, all the while concentrating on the silent woods.

As the sun appears on the horizon, a table appears on the ground from before the Cornucopia, on it sits a large bag for us and Thresh, a medium sized one for foxface, and a tiny one for the sickening star crossed lovers.

In a matter of seconds, the girl with red hair runs out of the Cornucopia and I mentally curse myself for not thinking of that. I let her run, she wasn't a threat. It was the first time I'd seen her since the Battle and she looked very thin compared to then. I was sure she wouldn't last much longer.

Then, Everdeen broke through the trees, running at a sprint towards her bag. No sooner had I leapt to my feet and started running in the opposite direction did I hear the swish of Clove's blade in the air. Setting off at a sprint, I look anywhere and everywhere for lover boy, but he was nowhere to be seen.

So I double back, running deeper into the trees, spear poised and eyes wide. The horrible wait for the cannon shot of Everdeen was almost unbearable, awful pictures of what was happening were constantly flashing through my mind. What if Thresh got her? What if Everdeen used her bloody bow and arrows? What if I was looking in all the wrong places for lover boy?

I freeze as a horrid scream rips through the trees, one that makes my blood curdle. It was her. I'd know her voice anywhere.

No sooner had I heard her than I was bounding back towards the Cornucopia, my lungs burning and my legs failing. Her horrible scream is followed by the yells of Thresh and I know in an instant that I was an asshole to let her go out there on her own. "Clove," I whimper.

"Cato!" she screams, "CATO!"

"CLOVE!" I holler, tears choking my throat.

Then, all is horribly silent. Branches whip my face and undergrowth strangles my legs as I run. Everything seems determined to stop me, determined to stop me from getting to her.

But soon, the trees stop and I'm on the plane. Everdeen escapes into the trees and Thresh disappears over the mound that I know conceals the wheat field. I want it to be Peeta or Foxface, but in my heart, I know it's her. "CLOVE!" I scream, but I know it's useless.

As I fall down next to her, I see her dented head, her eyes flickering and half closed. "Clove, baby, look at me," I whimper, pulling her into my arms. "Clove! Stay with me! Please!"

"Cato," she says, weaker than a whisper. "I love you."

And then her cannon goes off.

I let back my head and howl in pure agony. She was dead. She was dead and it was all my fault. If I'd been with her. "I'm such a fucking idiot," I repeat, over and over again.

I hear a swoosh in the air as the hovercraft descends. With one last glance at her body, I cut her free of her backpack and kiss her on the forehead, allowing my lips to linger there for a moment.

Then, I'm on my feet and running for the wheat field. "I'm going to kill you!" I yell. "I'm going to kill you, Thresh, and I'm going to enjoy EVERY SECOND!"

_**A/N:**__ So, this chapter is rather short compared to others. I want you to know, this is the last chapter! I've really enjoyed writing this but I can't help but feel like it's dragging and there's a lot of fics I want to write! Look out for Batman, Inception and a lot more!_


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